Elements of Conservation Research Assignment Paper

Student’s Name
Course/Module
Course Code
Instructor
Elements of Conservation
The law of conservation of elements holds that in a closed system, the mass of a system will remain fairly constant after a chemical reaction. The law also holds that any given reactants are expected to measure to the total mass of the output. It has been argued that matter and energy are neither created nor can they be destroyed. This implies that mass cannot by any means appear from nowhere, nor can it disappear. On the other hand, matter may change given the delusion that of nothing, out of something or the opposite (Spalding 15). It is, however, important to note that the mass of a matter remains unchanged no matter the form that it is converted to. This law is very instrumental in determining the empirical formula of any compound.
The law of conservation of elements has over the years turned chemistry into one of the most respectable sciences. Notably, chemistry has its roots in alchemy,a science that was based on fairy-tales and mysticism. With the introduction of the law, scientists took the system of alchemy and introducedconsistency and certainty to form what is now known as chemistry. The law is influential in studying chemical reactions by helping scientists to know the identity and quantity of reactants required for a particular reaction to occur (Hayward 173). It also helps in predicting the product amounts that will be produced in a given process.
The law of conservation of elementsdefines that all reactants in a process are in perfectly balanced amounts. This would imply that the amount of each reactant is fully consumed during the chemical process otherwise, some reagents will linger at the end of the reaction. Despite this, the law will still apply to any given reaction. Essentially, it would be safe to say that the law of conservation of mass is useful in predicting the amount of unexplained reactant produced or consumed without direct measurement (Razborova 743). For example, when iron is burnt in the air, its mass may appear to be higher, but this is accounted for by the mass of oxygen used in the combustion process. For instance, burning 5 grams of Iron would result into 7.15 grams of iron oxide. The mass of oxygen required to complete the process would in this case be 2.15 grams.
The law of conservation o...